IN what has undoubtedly been the busiest week of 2020 for Scottish music, this week’s New Music Radar features a plethora of riches. Check out new tracks by BETA WAVES, Baby Strange, Voodoos, The Dunts, Fabric Bear, Heavy Rapids, Biig Piig and more below.

BETA WAVES ‘Hideaway’ 

BETA WAVES are back and in fine form on their brand new single ‘Hideaway’. Opening in typically dream-like fashion, it doesn’t take long to notice that the duo have emboldened their cerebral synth-pop sound with even bigger beats, bold guitar lines and synth claps. With all of its intricate layers harnessed wonderfully by Harry Crossan’s gleaming production, it’s a track that transports the listener to sunnier climes while also evoking carefree nights on the club dancefloor. Bringing their Balearic influences to the forefront, it’s a bold step forward from an outfit who are strengthening their guitar/ electronic hybrid sound with each release.

Baby Strange ‘More! More! More!’ 

With Johnny Madden busy making a name for himself as one of Glasgow’s most prolific producers at 7 West Music, it has been a while since we last heard from his main project at hand Baby Strange. Today, marking what has been a particularly busy day for the city’s punk contingent, the very trio who helped to birth that same scene are back and firing on all cylinders on their new track ‘More! More! More!’. Five months on from their last outing ‘Bad Man In Prague’, the band pull absolutely no punches in their return with an opening tirade of pummelling rhythms and thrashing, searing guitar riffs – enough to jolt anyone out of a mid-quarantine slump. Johnny Madden goads the listener with his typically deadpan delivery – “Now that’s what I call music” he declares over a barrage of menacing, off-kilter riffs – as they push the parameters of their signature punk sound with staccato guitar stabs and syncopated rhythms. All anchored around one of those big Baby Strange choruses, it’s a track full of new ideas and fresh inspiration that indicates there’s still a lot more to come from the punk veterans.

SNASH ‘Pigs’ 

in spite of the ravenous fanbase that they’ve carved out in the midst of Glasgow’s thriving punk scene, SNASH’s latest offering has more in common with Deftones than it does with the Dunts. And make no mistake, that’s anything but a criticism. Forging ahead with a sound that moves beyond the pre-approved pantheon of influences and heads straight for the more imposing side of the spectrum, ‘Pigs’ howled vocals and sludgy riffs are a refreshing and uncompromising chance of pace. Taking aim at the halfhearted, the treacherous and the deceitful, SNASH’s lyrical and musical manifesto is one that leaves no room for half-measures and ‘Pigs’ makes that explicitly clear from the outset.

The Dunts ‘Learn’

Three weeks on from their sold out headline show at SWG3, The Dunts are back with ‘Learn’. With a style of pop-punk that is uniquely their own, measuring equal parts British and American influence, ‘Learn’ contains many of the musical elements The Dunts’ adoring fans have come to expect; hooky vocal melodies over driven guitars and unrelenting drums. However, the lyrical content is more akin to ‘Bad Decisions’ than, say, ‘Marilyn’ or ‘Witch Hunt’; they’re introspective, and once again show the band’s ability to examine and comment on not just the world around them, but their own internal experience. It is this ability that sets them apart as songwriters and allows them to speak to the masses in a way that few other bands are able.

Man Of Moon- Skin (Amber Leith Remix) 

Quickly ascending the ranks of their most popular tracks on streaming services, Man Of Moon’s ‘Skin’ landed with an inalienable weight to it earlier this year. Among the highlights of the Chemicals era of their career the revelatory track has now been given the remix treatment by Danny Igoe, better known to the musical world as Amber Leith. All slinking bass and invasive synths, this remix harbours a shade of XTRMNTR-era Primal Scream in its execution and pushes the track into an unforeseen space in the process. Coincidentally, Amber Leith’s freshly unveiled remix of Nas’ Illmatic-era classic ‘Life’s A Bitch’ further exemplifies his ability to re-contextualise his chosen source material into exciting new shapes.

Fabric Bear ‘One Last Time’ 

Also out on 7 West Music today alongside Baby Strange, The Dunts and SNASH, Midlothian four-piece Fabric Bear are back with ‘One Last Time’. A swooning, richly melodic piece of indie-rock that sounds like it has arrived straight out of Alex Turner’s ‘Suck it and See’ handbook, lead singer Ryan Hunter pines after someone he wants to reconnect with over acoustic strums, a twinkle of keys and wholesome harmonies. Brimming with rose-tinted nostalgia and sun-kissed romance, it’s another big step up from the band that has its eyes set firmly on mainstream success.

Voodoos ‘TV Set’

A track that will undoubtedly feel incredibly relatable to listeners across the country right now in the midst of self-isolation, ‘TV Set’ finds Voodoos frontman Piero Marcuccilli stuck in a rut – talking to his TV set, unsure what time it is and where to go next. He ultimately rises above it though,  channelling his anxiety and bewilderment into one of the band’s finest tracks to date.

Full of all the punchiness and punk-based tenacity that has informed their entire discography up until now, ‘TV Set’ is more lyrically introspective than we’re used to hearing from the outfit but its a sentiment that is bound to ring true with their fast-growing fanbase. Pair it with the band’s Strokes-esque guitars,  heaps of distortion and anthemic choruses and it’s another hugely impressive addition to their catalogue. ‘Sometimes I feel like I’m not good enough but that’s ok cause there will always be someone to take the stage’ Marcuccilli exclaims. You get the feeling though that there’s a lot still to come from Voodoos.

Savage Mansion ‘Weird Country’ 

Just a year after the release of their debut album ‘Revision Ballads’, Craig Angus and co are already back with a follow-up record ‘Weird Country’. Angus, the band’s primary songwriter, takes the slacker, Pavement-style alternative rock sound of that previous album and embellishes it with more carefully crafted arrangements and expansive instrumentals featuring shimmering vintage synths, bar band piano and harmonies that Teenage Fanclub would be proud of. Opening with ‘Karaoke’, a song he describes as “an homage to Glasgow, a magical and intoxicating city that captivates and frustrates in equal measure”, the album’s many highlights include the melodic intertwining guitar chime of ‘Old Country’, a tale of British nationalism told through the eyes of two Italian immigrants, the livewire energy of ‘There’s No Time to Waste’ and the monstrous title track – a scathing indictment of Britain’s superiority complex delivered via a surreal stream of conscious ramble inspired by Orwell’s Notes on Nationalism. It’s an album that explores ambitious themes such as cultural openness, national identity and self-critique but it’s also marked by Angus’ brilliant turn of phrase. With so many standout lines throughout, his wit, humour and personality as a songwriter and lyricist shine through, lending the album a kind of warmth, playfulness and a strong degree of self-awareness. Overall, ‘Weird Country’ is a triumphant return from Savage Mansion, marking a significant step forward into an incredibly bright future.

Swim School ‘how it should be’ (HYYTS remix) 

We were delighted to bring you the premiere of Swim School’s ‘how it should be’ back in February; a vibrant, shimmering piece of indie-pop full of optimism and described by the band as “an expression of pure happiness”. Now they’ve teamed up with Glasgow pop duo HYYTS for a brilliant remix of the track. Anchored by Alice Johnson’s dreamy vocals, the duo add their own flashes of pop and euphoric electronica to send the track to new transcendent heights – the kind that are sure to get people dancing the night away in isolation.

Heavy Rapids ‘Hallucination Hostage’ 

Described as “a culmination of the band’s evolution over the past couple years”, Heavy Rapids have released ‘Hallucination Hostage’. “Heavy Rapids are back once more because after this the books getting closed” they have said alongside the track’s arrival. It’s a strong concluding statement from the outfit – one that is a far cry from the unruly punk upstarts that we first came across a few years ago. Driven by a strong post-punk bassline, it’s an impassioned track that is less frenetic than previous offerings, more thoughtful in execution but every bit as dark and hard-hitting.

Biig Piig ‘Switch’ 

‘Switch’ is a glitchy, mesmerising offering which perfectly exemplifies Big Piig’s genreless approach to her music. Designed to capture the tension, helplessness and pressure the world is under right now, the track’s raw production style and frustrated energy feel perfectly timed in the current climate. Embracing a distinctly modern pop sound and driven by the rhythmic purr of drum’n’bass, it’s an exciting return from an artist who has so far seized the attention of Radio 1, 6Music, Billie Eilish and more.

Alaina Castillo ‘just a boy’ 

With her new EP ‘The Voicenotes’ slated for release on 24th April, burgeoning R&B/pop star Alaina Castillo displays her understated yet razor sharp talents once again on new single ‘just a boy’.With soft, hushed vocals that have been compared to Billie Eilish, Castillo delivers her scathing, emotional lyrics with heart-breaking honesty over simple guitar work and delicate honestly. Captivating listeners with her genre-bending sound and raw lyrical style, all signs point to a promising new musical talent and ‘just a boy’ reinforces her credentials tenfold.

Nadine Shah ‘Trad’ 

Nadine Shah explores societal pressure on women on her latest single. ‘Trad’ is our second glimpse into her upcoming album ‘Kitchen Sink’ and it’s a typically conflicting number in which she attempts to tackle the juxtaposing oppression she feels to conform to traditional gender roles in marriage and love with her desire to assume them. An artist who continues to evolve with each record, she traverses such complex terrain with admirable authenticity and honesty once again.

Spector ‘When Did We Get So Normal?’ 

Taken from their new EP titled ‘Extended Play’, Spector wonder how life got so mundane on their latest single ‘When Did We Get So Normal?’. Pining for their youth with rose-tinted specs while pondering over the repetitive routines of adult life like mortgages, marriages and waiting for packages. Oddly fitting for the these strange times we find ourselves in, it’s a track that looks back and longs for the past both lyrically and sonically – in typical Spector style, the tune itself boasts a huge, bombastic chorus, searing riffs and bouncy, retro synths.

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever ‘She’s There’ 

With the announcement that their second album ‘Sideways to New Italy’ on 5th June, Australian outfit Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever have shared a new song ‘She’s There’. Like many RBCF’s songs, the track drives by at top-speed on first listen before burrowing deep in your subconscious – finding that sweet spot between a propulsive instrumental, vocal hooks and a power pop sheen.

The 1975 ‘Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America’

Set to feature on the long-awaited ‘Notes on a Conditional Form’ which is now slated for release on 22nd May, ‘Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America’ is yet another change of pace from the outfit as Matt Healy offers a hushed vocal over lightly strummed guitars and other nice textures which help to flesh it out. The ever brilliant Phoebe Bridgers elevates the track, offering a different point of view as the two singers ponder over love, faith and belief. It’s perhaps the simplest song The 1975 have turned their hands to in some time, but its sparseness allows its haunting beauty and weighty lyrics to shine in what is one of their most heartfelt turns to date.